Bradley: Mets clinging on to mantra despite recent struggles

Debby Wong-US PRESSWIRE The Mets have lost four of their last five in the midst of a brutal stretch.

NEW YORK — The Mets cling now to what they’ve created, standing proud on the way they’ve battled through injuries and slumps to remain relevant in the standings, and insisting their collective pride can continue to carry them deep into the season.

But now there is concern.

“We’ve got to get back to doing what we do, what we’ve been doing,” David Wright said after the Mets dropped a 4-2 decision to the Yankees last night for their fourth loss in five games. “Get back to getting on base, keeping the line moving. We’re not a team that can sit back and wait for the three-run home run.”

The Mets have defied logic for 60 games. There’s no other way of looking at it. Can it last? Can they salvage the final game of this Subway Series? Even if they can, there’s a trip to Tampa Bay coming up, a homestand that will see them facing the Reds and Orioles, and then another three-game series against the Yankees.

Can they do all this, as banged up as they are, and still remain close to the teams who will battle for spots in the postseason? Analyze it, and it is not likely to make sense.

From the top of last night’s Mets lineup, where manager Terry Collins slotted Kirk Nieuwenhuis, who wasn’t even supposed to be in the big leagues yet, to the bottom, where Omar Quintanilla fills in for Justin Turner, who filled in for Ronny Cedeno, who filled in for Ruben Tejada.

To the other relevant parts of the order, like No. 6 hitter Ike Davis, who has yet to push his average even into the high .100s, and No. 7 hitter Jason Bay, who has five RBI.
“The way we’ve played, everybody wants to be a part of it,” Collins insisted before the game. “Everybody wants to get in the game and help us win. Right down the bench.”

Can these unlikely heroes keep coming through? Last night, they tried again.
Quintanilla hit his first big-league home run since 2008, tying the game 1-1 in the top of the third.

It was a moment like many others the Mets have produced this year. Remember Jordany Valdespin’s home run off Jonathan Papelbon in Philadelphia last month? How about Scott Hairston, signed to be a part-time player and pinch hitter, with eight home runs, almost all of them when the team was desperately needing something clutch? It has defied logic.

“Due to injuries, we’ve had to use a lot of different guys,” Collins said. “To call guys up from the minors, to platoon in certain spots. So we now have a lot of guys who come to the ballpark believing they’re going to get a chance to help the team win. When the game starts, everybody thinks they might get a chance. I look down the bench and everybody’s paying attention. Everybody’s ready. That’s helped the makeup of our club.”

They believe what they’ve got is real. They point to things like their incredible .272 batting average with two outs and runners in scoring position as proof. It’s like the Yankees have the power and talent to overcome a dismal average in those situations, but the Mets have the guts to come through when facing long odds.

That’s the beauty of what’s transpired. Sure, they are getting a spectacular season from Wright, who is hitting 40 points better than any of the Yankees regulars. Wright hit a long home run last night to give the Mets a 2-1 lead in the sixth, prompting Collins to say the team can’t expect to ride on his back all season. It’s clear the Mets need more contributors.

“I’m not feeling any burden,” Wright said. “I’d hope, every once in a while, to be able provide a little instant offense, but when we click, when we work, it’s when we get those 30-35-pitch innings from the opposing pitcher. And it just seems everybody’s getting on base. When we single them to death. Single, single, double, walk. That’s our team.”

What also has defined the Mets is the way they’ve responded when things have looked most bleak. Like when they answered three straight losses in mid-April by winning four of their next five. Or the way R.A. Dickey helped them avoid a sweep in Washington on Thursday.

After losing a blowout to the Yankees on Friday night — with Johan Santana on the mound — Collins looked everyone in the eye and said his team was not down. Because it’s not their nature. They situation grew more critical with another loss.

With Washington’s second consecutive win, the Mets now trail the Nationals by 3½ games. They’re 2½ behind the second-place Braves. The feel-good start is now threatened by the schedule they face, and because their offense is stumbling.

The Mets will throw Jonathon Niese today against Andy Pettitte, who looked unhittable in his 10-strikeout performance against the Rays Monday. Clinging to what they’ve created, the Mets will call on their pride once again. How long can it carry them?